Summer Time

I have fond memories from my childhood and my high school years of eating dinner in the summer time on weeknights. When I smell that fresh summer smell, like I did a little bit over the weekend, I get images of iced tea, steamed asparagus, corn on the cob, grilled flank steak, grilled chicken parts, and sliced tomatoes. (Not necessarily all at the same meal. These were just traditional summer time foods for us.) I also have fond memories of being given a few dollars before dinner to ride my bike a couple of blocks down to the neighborhood fruit stand to pick up fresh corn for dinner, and then shucking it on the front porch or patio. We always cooked the corn in the mysterious hissing pressure cooker.

Mom always thought it was important to have family dinners together because it was the only time we were all together. I guess she was right.